HIGH-GRADE SPODUMENE AND TANTALUM CONCENTRATES CONFIRMED AT CASE LAKE
Major Highlights
-
Outstanding results from Dense Media Separation (DMS) and flotation test work confirm the high quality and added value of lithium at the
Case Lake Project :- High 7.70% Li₂0 spodumene concentrate
- High 99.50% flotation stage recovery
- Low 0.66% iron (Fe₂O₃) impurities
-
Confirms ability to achieve high lithium recovery and grades through DMS:
- High 5.24% Li₂0 spodumene concentrate
- High 85.82% recovery
- Low 0.54% iron (Fe₂O₃) impurities
-
Tantalum results returned from Wet Table and Magnetic Separation test work produced high grades:
- 12,508 ppm (1.25%) Ta concentrate
- 45% recovery
- Test work on lithium and tantalum confirms potential to produce multiple high-value mineral products
- Case Lake remains the only cesium project currently in development globally – underpinned by the world's fourth largest cesium resource
The latest test work affirms confirms Case Lake as a multi-element project, capable of production high-grade mineral concentrates of cesium (Refer to press releases announced
Demonstrating the ability to deliver three high-grade critical minerals from the West Joe resource further cements Case Lake's position as a world-class asset in
Haydn Daxter, CEO of
"The recent metallurgical test work confirms Case Lake's ability to produce three high-grade concentrate minerals – cesium, tantalum and lithium – setting it apart from many other projects in
With production targeted for 2026, Case Lake is the fourth largest hard rock cesium resource globally that we remained focus on advancing within an efficient timeframe to unlock its full commercial value.
"I am very pleased with the latest metallurgical test work results from Case Lake. The project continues to stand out as a leading multi-asset in
This latest round of work further strengthens our position as we continue to de-risk and demonstrate the projects capabilities to deliver the world's fourth hard rock cesium project.
Metallurgical Test Work
The Company is pleased to report positive metallurgical results from Dense Media Separation (DMS) and Flotation tests on lithium along, with Wet Table (WT) and Magnetic Separation (MS) tests on tantalum from the Case Lake deposit.
The test work produced lithium (Li₂O) concentrates with grades as high as 7.70%, and low deleterious Iron (Fe₂O₃) content below 0.66%. Tantalum (Ta) concentrates returned grades as high as 12,508ppm(1.25%).
The Company engaged 'Nagrom the Mineral Processor' in
The results were subject to an independent review and interpretation by SGS Lakefield, a team with significant expertise in mineral processing and metallurgy in
The primary objective of this program was to evaluate the effectiveness of conducting DMS and Flotation on spodumene, along with WT and MS on Tantalum from the waste material produced during cesium concentrate production.
Samples 24-036-02W and 24-036-03W were produced as final rejects of 2024 phase I ore sorting testwork that
Metallurgical results of the DMS and Flotation tests conducted on the West Joe deposit at Case Lake, produced quality concentrates surpassing the current market standards (5.5% Li₂O and <1.2 % Fe₂O₃). Outstanding results returned included, Li₂O grades reaching as high as 7.70%, and low deleterious Iron (Fe₂O₃) grades of sub 0.66%.
Wet Table (WT) test results from the West Joe deposit at Case Lake, yielded high-quality Tantalum concentrates of 12,508ppm (1.25% Ta). These initial results are very encouraging and mark a successful first step in confirming the deposit's tantalum potential.
Primary samples from the West Joe deposit confirmed Cesium-Tantalum-Lithium mineralization, with samples 24-036-02W and 24-036-03W containing spodumene, tantalite and pollucite. These samples have ore-grade lithium and tantalum, and relatively low cesium.
Pollucite was sorted as the primary product during Phase I of the ore sorting process. Sample 24-036-02W was processed to produce spodumene concentrate through DMS and Flotation, demonstrating effective lithium recovery. Sample 24-036-03W yielded tantalite concentrate using WT (gravity) and MS methods, successfully recovering tantalum from the feed sample.
Sample 24-036-02W was stage crushed to 100% passing 5.6 mm and wet screened at 0.71mm before DMS test was completed at SG 2.75. Two sighter float tests were conducted on a composite sample that consisted of the product (underflow) of the DMS and the remaining fine material (-0.71mm) from the wet screen.
Further wet screening at 0.025 mm and magnetic separation were completed before the composite sample was run through flotation testwork.
The DMS plus Flotation test work produced exceptionally high-grade spodumene concentrate with 7.20% Li₂O and recovered 78.8% the lithium (Table 1). Individual sighter float tests showed recoveries of 80% to 99.7%, producing concentrates with 6.4% to 7.7% Li₂O (Figure 3).
The pre-flotation DMS concentrate also produced quality spodumene concentrate with 5.24% Li2O and recovered 85.8% of the lithium (Table 2). Both the DMS and DMS plus flotation concentrates have very low iron content at 0.54% and 0.65% Fe2O3. The DMS concentrate contains relatively high cesium (0.88% Cs2O), indicating potential additional by-product credits for the company.
The lithium and tantalum beneficiation testwork completed on the final reject (waste) samples from the Companies 2024 Phase I ore sorting successfully demonstrated that the waste products from pollucite sorting at West Joe are amenable to known spodumene and tantalite processing methods.
The results further validate that the waste products of the pollucite ore sorting process from West Joe and similar lithium-tantalum plus low-grade cesium mineralized pegmatites at
Table 1 – Mass Balance for Spodumene Concentrate
Description |
|
Mass (%) |
Li2O (%) |
Fe2O3 (%) |
Li2O Distribution (%) |
Final Spodumene Concentrate |
-12.7+0.025mm |
17.8 |
7.20 |
0.65 |
78.8 |
Combined Flotation Tails |
-0.125+0.025mm |
15.5 |
0.05 |
0.10 |
0.4 |
Slimes |
-0.025mm |
8.0 |
3.33 |
1.56 |
16.4 |
Magnetic Concentrate |
-0.125+0.025mm |
0.87 |
5.02 |
0.07 |
2.7 |
DMS Tails |
-12.7+0.71mm |
57.9 |
0.05 |
0.07 |
1.8 |
24-036-02W (Feed) |
-12.7 |
100.0 |
1.58 |
0.24 |
100.0 |
Table 2 – Summary Results for Spodumene Concentrate Produced by DMS
Sample |
Mass (%) |
Li2O (%) |
Cs2O (%) |
Fe2O3 (%) |
Global Li2O Recovery (%) |
DMS Concentrate |
26.1 |
5.24 |
0.88 |
0.54 |
85.82 |
Sample 24-036-03W was used to produce tantalite concentrate through gravity-based wet table and magnetic separation tests. The sample was stage-crushed to 100% passing 1mm and wet-screened at 0.075, 0.125 and 0.5 mm to create four sub-samples for wet table testing.
Following the initial wet table tests, a composite sample was created from the first two cuts of each sub-sample. This composite then underwent a second round of wet tabling testing, followed by magnetic separation testwork. The test program successfully produced tantalite concentrate grading 12,508 ppm (1.25% Ta), with a recovery rate of 45% (see Table 3).
Table 3 – Mass Balance for Tantalite Concentrate
Description |
|
Mass (%) |
Ta |
Ta Distribution (%) |
Combined Ta Concentrate |
-0.5mm |
0.52 |
12508 |
44.8 |
+0.5mm Ta Concentrate |
+0.5mm |
0.37 |
1630 |
4.2 |
Combined 2nd Pass Tailings + Slimes |
-1mm |
14.9 |
141 |
14.5 |
Combined 1st Pass Tailings + Slimes |
-1mm |
84.3 |
63 |
36.5 |
Feed (24-036-03W) |
-1mm |
100.0 |
144 |
100.0 |
Case
The Case
Decelles Property
The Decelles Property contains 247 claims, covering 14,229 hectares of LCT prospective ground near the mining centres of Val-dÓr and
Spodumene and Beryl bearing pegmatites have been reported historically within the Pontiac sub-province in association with S-type garnet-muscovite granite. The Decelles property is adjacent to Vision Lithium's
Mazerac Property
The Mazerac Property is located approximately 30 km east of
Pollucite and Cesium
Pollucite is a rare mineral that hosts high grade cesium and is associated with highly fractionated, rare element pegmatites. The main source of cesium known globally is pollucite (Cs,Na)₂(Al₂Si₄O₁₂)•2H₂O, (https://www.gov.mb.ca/iem/geo/industrial/pollucite.html). Currently the Tanco mine in
Scientific and Technical Disclosure
The scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release for Metallurgical test work has been reviewed and approved by
The scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release has been reviewed and approved by
Its flagship Case
Beyond Case Lake, the Company's portfolio includes the
As global demand for critical minerals continues to grow global, and particularly in
Learn more at www.powermetalscorp.com.
-ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD-
Neither the
No- securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations, including the use of funds raised under the Offering. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions,
Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The TSXV has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release.
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